Device for opening envelops.



E. E. MBS. DEVICE FOR OPENING ENVELOPS.

' APPLIcATIoN FILED JULY z5, 1910. 1,095,879

, Arron/mas Patenta 0@n. 17,1911.

ELIAS n. miss, or N'swYonK.

TO THE SIMPLEX. LETTER OPENER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK,

, or 'NEW YORK.

DEVICE FOR OEENING ENVELOPS.

N. ASSIGNOB', BY DIRECT ANDVMESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

N. Y., A CORPORATION ASpecification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

Application ined :ruiy 25, 1cm. serial No; 5733355.

Tooll 'whom 'it may concern:

A Be it known that I, ELIAS E'. Riiisaciti zen of the United States, and a resident of New Yorkin the county of INew York and State of vNew- York, have invented certain new and usetul Improvements in Devices for Opening Envelops, of which the following l is a specication.

' movement .in its initial'position it will be in position' vwhich envelope can be opened 0I' rother form of My present invention relates lto .devices or machines for opening envelops, being to provide an improved device with without danfger of, cutting or mutilating the contents.

' Fur-ther objects are lto attain a device which will, after one envelop has been opened,v automatically return 4to its initial position to be ready for use with another envelop and to provide means for,.lii niting the of the cutting device so that when to act on the next envelop inserted. A still further object is to provide a receptacle into 'which the clippings, due to operating the device, will be deposited.

Still'further objects oi the invention wil-l be 'apparent from a reading of the s ubamong which are the joined description, meansfor retaining the operating parts oi the --device at all times in the same relation to each other by compensating for the wear `on thev parts dueto continual use.

' .Heretoforeit has most'commonly been the practice to open envelops by cutting the end with scissors or inserting. aknife or other sharp instrument under a flap and ripping it open although various ldevices or machines have. been proposed for opening envelops which, however, have not come into commercialluse to any extent owingl to various ob jections, whichit isl the object of my invention to overcome. In using scissors care h as Ato be takento see that the contents are not near' theside or edgev to be cut, which makes the operation of opening the envelops a tiine consuming one.

opeiiei' the danger of also `ripping a letter, check or the like, which may be in the'envelop, is ever present. y

By the use of a device constructed in accordance with this invention, the cutting edge Vis' always in correct position to operate on an envelop and envelops may be opened with great rapidity as the object y By inserting a knife the location ,of the contents is a natter of no moment-,the device merely cutting an exceedingly thin strip from the folded edge of the envelop and in' fact merely cutting ott the fold in the paper of the envelop. The cut niadeis so slight that it is impossiblefor the contents of the envelop to get far enough .into the fold at a side or edge of theenvelop to be cut by the opener.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with the preferred manner of carrying my present invention into eii'ect'. Fig. Q is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of' a modified form. Fig. is an end elevation of the form shown in Fig. l. 'Figi 5 is a. transverse vertical section through the device taken on'the line X X Fig. 1. Figli is an enlarged section taken on the line Y Y Fig. l'and looking in the direction of the arrow A. Y y i l indicates a plate or base upon which the various parts oi' the machine are mounted.

:2, Blindicate standards rising from the basel at or near either end. A steel cylinder or cutter 4 longitudinally disposedv with respect to the base is mountedon a shaft 5, the exposed ends of whiclrare journaled in andsupported by the standards 2, 3. 'For facility and eheapiiess in constructing,the cylinder is preferablymade a separate part -and suitably secured to the shai't to rotate therewith, but, if desired, the cylinder and for a suitable distance beyond both the standards 2, 3, and is provided on one of these ex- V- posed `ends with a removable 'operating handle by means of which the cutter cylin der 4 is rotated. 1 I For convenienceof right or lett hand operation i, (when the device is operated by handle (i can be .secured to either end of the machine by merely sllippingit on and fastensofA ' shaft might be integral. The shaft 5 extends.

hand Afor instance) or for other purposes, thc

ing it to the exposed end vof the shaft at 'the desired end. The cylindersthas an inclined longitudinally or spirally disposed knifeedge 7 which is preferably,formed by cutting or milling a groove of the desired depth in the periphery ofthecylinder the cutting side of the groove preferably being radially formed. The depthof the groove determines the amount of material cut from the envelop' the knife edge runs the entirelength of the fis `preferablyas :long-as the-cutter cylinder 4 'cutter beyond the knife inder at any part v:of

`"cured tothe table andi-theotlier'to the fixed `may run the entire length of vshown* in Fig.

collar 8 is provided' ateach end ofthe cylindown' upon the blocks by the heads of screws and is proprahly made shallow so that but a y very thin strip'will be cut. The knife'edge the cylinder as shown in- F ig. A3 or it may stop somewhat short-and gradually merge into the periphery of the cylinder near the vends as shown in Fig. l.' When forming the knife edge as 1,7a smooth periphery 1s left at both'ends ofthe cylinder, the ends having the vsamediameter as the cylinder.V When bear against the periphei'ycf cylinder at the ends thereof thereby' xi'ng the relaknife7 so that when the cylinder is rotated, the knife edge 7 Wipes p'ast the,v cuttingedge of the table just as in a pairof scissors',` the ife progressively cutting the edge ofthe envelop.l In the forni shown in Fig# 3 the relation between the cutting edges is fixed by reason of the fact that the table bears or engages lindirectly against the collars cylinder as in theV formshown .1n Fig. 3 a

guidesibeing in contact with the periphery of the collars when the cutting' edge bed is in proper der,'the diameter y,of the collar being such that/its peripherywill be farther back than the depth of the cutin the cylinder.

9 indicates aisteel cutting table or bed Vof the knife edge due to 'continued rotation and-horizontally .supported by and adapted to slide on blocks 10 on the base l, the upper surfaceor cutting edge of the table 9 being preferably located below the axis of the cuttericylinder lso that on rotating the cutter to sever an edge of the envelop, the undercut of the knife edge will be exaggerated and ,l only `the outer edgeof the knife engage the envelop. The tableis preferably sodisposed onaccount ofthe diiiculty of undercuttingl theuedge'lwvhenniilling the cylinder to form the `lknife-i u f I 115 12 indicate guide plates secured in this instance to the sides of the blocks and over-` hanging and resting on the upper-surface of thefcuttingtable to hold the. sanie down onfthe blocks. The guides serve to limit theplace ofinsertion of the envelop Whereb y the envelop'cannot be presented to the l edge. In the forni shown in Fig. l t-hel guides are located onthe surface ofthe bed in such posit-ion that they preventthe envelop from engaging the cylthe inclined surface causedv bythe knife groove merging' into the peripheryof'the cylinder, whereby it is assuredf'that the entire length vof the envelop presented to the cutter Will be opened. In the form shown in Fig. 3 the guides 11,12 are;inl the 'forni of 'blocks fastened to the top surface; of the cutting table and located so that the side .of the envelop to be opened cannot get 'beyond the end of the knife and they thereby prevent the envelop being' but partially cut. In this form the table is held amount of Wear on `the?y 'surfaces against which the cutting edge.'of-t,he table `or `the ends ofthe guides,

tion for the knife edge and therebyftake up pressed against the knife? edge a fself-sharpening action of the by the close wiping edge whereby the efficiency of the f device `would be-inipaired and "in time the 'knife vWould not cut. Y 5* 'i may be prevented for instance in the y the upright portion 14 of 'theqguide plates ,to the sides of the blockslt). "Inf t-he forni Referring moreY particularly indicates a projects' laterally cess formed in the passing through guide slots in-the envelop guide'blocks 11, -`l2`and table; and tapped intofthe'top Aof thetixed supporting blocks d fin both'y formsiis" looselyiseated onv-theblocks 10, 'and its 'cutting? edge? isA pressed toward the cylinderv 4 by springs lpreferably located at bothends of the -f-table, .one -`enidlV of the springsv being' se# f tire length of the envelopiglthe 'hand 'table-onheil 9"r`eady ends of cutting edge of the table normally envelop. Also preferablya stop is provided tion of the cutting edge ofthe table to the through the guide blocks 10,'"engagingthe" periphery of the collars 8,v tlhefends'of the' of the* position `to be closelywiped by the knife edge 7. In bothfcases'a'ny'wear e of the cylinder is represented by a' like and compensate-for anyfiveaf on the parts. Also by having thecuttingedge 'of the table knife 'is "produced, fas" p of thev edges `on 'each operation of the cylinder a sharpening-effectV the cutting edge of the table andtlie'knife Longitudinal displacementof the table' ll, 12, by means o'f which tliey'arel'fastenedl distance so that tie knife'57 has cut-the en-f -'le 6 S t. released and ,the cylinder returntd `trofvits ng 1T one end-offr as ythecase may-be, bearV vand consequently the springs always keep" the cutting edge of thetablev inveXactposii by any"suitable"'ineans as. formshofwnfin Fig. 1', by'

Ashown in F 3, it is attain edpreferablyv by r` `causing the sideof the projecting'ends of the 'Q guides to engage'the endsfofthe fcylfinderf.,l tqFig: e; 1'5"v iis,l from the standard?) and'flf indicates a co-fI acting' pin secured tothe cylindzcrfl/ina re` 1 end thereof." On rot-at v ing the cutter cylinder forivard ra suliicient noemer in the end of the cylinder 4 strikes th'el` stop the small strips of paper as a result of us' ting edges whereby from the envelop will drop 'down through lafter the knife edge has traversed the entire length of the cutting edge of thev table 9.

l19 indicates a hollow receptacle'nrbox for which the basel of thel machine serves 'as a cover and to which it is hinged along the backedge. A slot 20 formedin the base l and arranged below themeetig or -cutting edges of the cylinder 4s and table 9-is of a length at least equal to the length of the cutthe strip ori edge cut the slot Q0 and into the receptacle 19, thereby avoiding the necessity of gathering up ing the machine.

If desired the machine can be operated by a foot treadle by mea-ns ofv a chain 21 secured to the operating handle 6, the other .end being secured to of a loosely mounted cutting table or bed .upon whichtl'ie envelop is placed, a. knife and. means for automatically maintaining the relation of the cutting edge of said table 'or bed to the knife under conditions; of wear.

2.'In an envelop opener, the combination of a knife, 'a table or bed upon which the envelop is placed and having a` cutting edge in definite relation 'with said knife and springs for automatically maintaining said vrelationunder conditions of wear.

` of arotary cutterl and table or bed having a cutting edge pressed 3.' In an envelop opener, the combination a loosely mounted against said cutter. 4. In an envelop cutter and a table upon which the envelop sharpening of the knife edge will be effected on each operation of the cutter. 5.- In anl envelop opener, of a rotary cylinder, ai spiral -groovein the peripheryof said cylinder forming a knife edgeand a cooperating cutting table.

6. In an envelop opener, the'combination of a. rot-ary cylinder, a spiral groove in the periphery of said. cylinder forming la knife edge, the cutting side of said groove being` and a cutting table or bed disposed below the axis. of lsaid. cylinder whereby -the undercutof said knife edge isl accentuated. i

'7.'In an envelop opener, the'combination of a rotatable cylinder, a spiral knife edge on said cylinder., a loosely mounted vtable or Asaid knife, means for fixing the usual form of treadle.'l Also the machine might be operated by mo,-

the combination opener, the combination of a rotary vcylinder provided with a spiral .cutting edge,

a spring for rotating saidkni ein the re the combination base against and having bed having a, cutting edgeco-acting with the .relation be# tween the cutting edge and ythe -.knife and means for maintaining said relation under conditions of wear. l

8. vIn an envelop opener, the combination. table' or bed having a cutting edge co-acting with of a rotary cutter, a'loosely .mounted said'cutter, means for fixing the relation between the cutting edge and the' rotary'cutter and springs for maintai'ningsaid relation.

'9.' In an envelop opener, the combination of a rotatable cylinder having 4a spiral knife edge, a loosely mounted table or bed having ad cutting Iedge co-acting vwith said knife e ge against which said table bears andmeans -for keeping said table engaged with said col-V lars.

10. In an envelop opener, the' combination of a rotatable cylinder provided with a spiral knife edge, a table or bed upon which the envelop'is supported having a cutting edge co-acting with said knife edge and guides located on the surface of said table and adapted to locate an edge ,of the envelop with respect to the knife.

lll In an eiivelo opener, the' combination of a cutter rotatab e forward yand backward, a table or bed having a co-actiiig cutting edge, means for rotating said cutter, means for'automatically returning said cutter and means for `stopping the return movement when the i cutter hasl reached its original position.-

' 12. In an envelop opener, of a knife rotatable forward and backward, a table or bed having a co-actingcutting edge, means for rotating said knife, a springl for rotating said knife in the reverse direction after release of the 'rotating means and means for stopping the return movement of said knife when in its initial position.

13. In an envelop opener, the combination of a knife rotatable forward and backward, a table or bed provided with-a co-acting means for rotatin said knife,

collars rotating with said cylinder'and the combination verse-direction after releaseof said rotating?` vmeans and means forlimitingvthe rotation of said knife in both directions.

14. In an envelop opener the combination vof a rotary cutter agamstwhich the edgeof the envelop is pressed, a-table or bed upon which ythe envelop is supportedand pro-v vided with a co-acting knife edge, a base iso - :5,jceive. the severed' edge of the envelops 3 VVit-nesses:`

, upffwv-heh .'s'aid Cutter nd table' are mountf' 'Signed at New Yrk in the county of New ed,"^fs`id ba'sebeing provided with an open-v York and State of New York this 18th day ing,`-1octeddr`et1y beneath the meeting of July A. D 1910. Y .cutter-'edges'and a# receptacle adapted t0 rethrough 'fsaidmo H` TOWNSEND.

lELIAS ERIES. 

